Shaft mounting



x H.- H. TIMKEN 4 SHAFT MOUNTING Filed July 5,

Patented Aug. 24, 1 926.

UNITED STATES},

PATENT OFFICE.

' min-era.

8m! MOUNTING.

' Application fledluly 5,

' My invention relates to the mounting of shafts especially to such shafts as are submitted in practice to cross-bending stresses. Its principal object is to produce an .antifriction bearing that will accommodate it'- self to bowing of the shaft and will have other advantages hereinafter ap caring. It consists principally in mounting t eshaft in roller bearings w ose cups are convexly w curved transversely of the bearing surface;

it also consists in the combinations and arrangements of parts hereinafter described a and claimed. v

The accompanyin drawing, wherein like l5 numerals refer to l' 0 parts wherever they occur, is a longitudinal sectional view of a mechanism embodyin a worm shaft mounted in bearings accor ing to my invention.

The drawing illustrates the mounting of 50 a propeller shaft .of an automobile in engagement with the larger gear of diflerens "-tial mechanism as commonly used in connection with an automobile driving axle.

i In the construction illustrated, the propeller inner bearingmember 8 provided ,with an annular rib 9 at its small end and'with an annular rib or shoulder 10 at its large end, against which abut the beveled ends 11 of "conical rollers 12. These cones 8 are mount- I ed on opposite ends of the shaft 1 with their "large en s towards each other; and the rollers are provided with a suitable cage 13 for'holding them'in position on the cone. The rollers'are-of conical form with their large ends towards each other. The cup or outer bearing member 4 has its inner surface or racewafi thatis, longitudina of-its'axis,'whe'reby the rollers, which have a' line contact their full len h with the coneor inner raceway, have 0 y a limited o'r point contact with the cup or outer raceway to which they are practically tangent.

' In the construction illustrated, the propeller shaft comprises the. shaft proper I curved-" '.-transversely,

1984. 8eriallIo.7 84,304.

and a hollow sleeve 14 which has the worm formed thereon and fits and is keyed to the shaft proper. By this arrangement, the SlQGVBJS'lOCkBd against rotation independently of the shaft proper, but can slide endwise thereof. -Opposite each end of the worm sleeve are sleeves or tubular distance rmxmv, or cnnron, onro,nssmiion 'ro TEE rmxnu some. ammo comm, or cmrou, euro, 4 coaron arxon or onto.

pieces 15 that surround the shaft proper and bear against the adjacent ends of the worm sleeve respectively; and beyond these tubular distance pieces the shaft proper is reduced in diameter and provided with the respective bearing cones against which said tubular distance pieces 'abut. As. stated above, the cupsor outer bearing members are seated in recesses provided'therefor in caps 6 that are mounted in the axle housing or differential gear carrier so as to be adjustable longitudinally of the propeller shaft. v

By this arrangement,- the movement of one cap 6 or the other. carries with it the cup or outer raceway 4 mounted therein, and this movement is transmitted endwise throughthe rollers 12, the cone or inner racewa 8 and the tubular adjusting-sleeves 15 to t e worm sleeve 14, and thence iii/ re verse order to the outer raceway of the other. bearing; and as the samerelation exists with respect to the other cap, it is a simple matter to position the worm' and adjust the bearings as desired.

As is well known, a worm shaft exerts considerable end thrust against one or the other of its end bearings according as it is movingforwardly or backwardlyand it is obvious that the construction and arrangement hereinbefore described are well adapted to take care of such end thrust. *Likewise, it is well known that the reaction of the worm gear against the worm shaft exerts considerable force tending to bend or how such shaft; and the construction hereinbe- .fore described is well adapted to a'ccom modate any such bending or bowing of the shaft. In such case, the-bearing cones together. with the rollers follow the shaft, whereas the cups or outer raceways maintain their normal ositions with reference to the housing; t at is, when the shaft hows, the axes of the bearing cones cock from their original sition of alinement with each other to pos1tions that are tangent to the are or curve assumed by the bowed shaft, whereas the cups or outer rat-Aways iiy tei'igeni in ositioss. of ihe advantages of the con truction iieE-einbefors described it oermits are use HMTGWQZ' shafts than have heretofors pssmissiiiis, fer rigidisy, wh ch has heretofore been regarded as a practical neeessity for a shaft, may be disregarded to s considerable extent Consequently, the shaft may be made much mere eeenomieally n has heretofore been practicable. As besringss they have the advantage move ecenomiesi than the common 'ngsby reason of fact we only iimiizsd e-orieeeiz f iherefore U to he made 3 e precision as is neces soil rufl length with both the inner and sways. in like manner, the contiie advantage of minimizing see-y" oflinsesuseeies aiisemen'ls s isssrisgsa ion ep giiee V r wed eh comprising 21, s

e i o short, Conical rollers race-Way Wii se searing surface is sexiy curved transversely thereof. e e minimizes or s worm mes m whieirmsy a Q make Rise comeee D o 7 ing an inner bearing member,

i sss iss prising a bearing some fixed to the shaft, sozsiesi rollers arid an outer raceway whose" rig eenvexiy curved transversely the eofissid bearing cones being dis posed with "their isrge ends towards each other.

' 4.. The eombizissien with a drivin shaft havin a gear intermediate its en 5, and antifrietion bearings for rotatably supporting portions of seid shaft on opposite sides of said gear, each of said bearings comprising an inner bearing member, an outer bearing member and bearing rollers disposed between said bearing members, the bearing sssfeee of ens of said bearing members be:

Mg eomexiy sears-ed is s direction lengthdriving she-ft 75 its ends, and

s on opposite sides each of said. bearings comprisan outer-bearing member and bearing rollers dis need be-.- "tween said bearing members, sai bearin' soiiessimving line contact with one of sai bearing mem bers and having point contact mg; psriso 15; of said gear,

4 size other of said bearing members sub si stieiiy midway between t e'ends of said (i. In. sosshisstion, a Silafi a holiow warm siidaoiy meunted thereon, a worm gear meshing with said worm roiier bearings for ssid heft on opposite sides of its worm, said he gs each comprising inner bearing MIL. on the shaft, rollers and esrmg member Whose bearing surface is eonvezziy curved transvers ly thereof and eion ted sieeves siidably mounted on said sizes; between and bearing against the ends said worm and the res"; active inner members,

[7 In comiiinstion, a shafi, a noliow worm slidably mounted thereon e Worm gear meshing with said worm, conical roller bearing for said shaft on opposite sides of'its Worm, said bearings each comprising a hearing cone mounted on the shaft, conieal roiiers and an outer raceway whose bearing surface is eenvexiy curved transversely Ohio, this 1st day of HENRY H. TIMKEN. 

